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Success Stories

Class of 2017 success stories

CMSD’s graduation rate continues to reach record highs, adding to the success stories commonly found in Cleveland and other urban districts.

This page features a sampling from our Class of 2017 and is by no means intended to offer a definitive list of the highest achievers.

But one was named a White House “kid science advisor.” One overcame homelessness, another was a refugee and third spent time in a school for troubled children. Twin sisters are bound for Ivy League colleges.

The graduates profiled here exemplify the kind of grit, drive and intellectual curiosity found in high schools throughout the District. More will join their ranks with summer commencement, scheduled for Aug. 4 at the East Professional Center.

Before Jacqueline Niyocwizera's family moved to Cleveland from Tanzania, she never had a permanent home. She grew up in refugee camps under constant threat of violence, starvation, rape and displacement.

For Peng Zhou, being named a "kid science advisor" by then-President Barack Obama was the highlight of his high school career. But that certainly wasn’t the only accomplishment for the 2017 Design Lab Early College High School graduate, whose whirlwind year began with helping his robotics team win a world championship.